Bed air conditioning apparatus



M y 3, 3939- c. F; KETTERING ET AL 2,159,741

BED AIR CONDITIONINCT APPARATUS Filed Aug. 50, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Char/es Fi $5311 C. sift/J m foRN ffi May 23, 1939. c. F. KETTERING ET AL: BED AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Au 3Q, 1953 4She ets-Sheet :5

INVENTORS Char/es EA 9 E 7171:! ATToRN g 4 Sheets-Sheet .4

May 23, 1939. c. F. KETTERING ET AL BED AIR counrnomm APPARATUS Filed Aug. so, less UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,159,741 7 'BED AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Charles F. Kettering and Edwin o. Sittler, Dayton,- Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application August 30,

9 Claims.

trouble in sleeping because of the very hot and.

humid weather which prevailsat times. It is ordinarily too expensive for most persons to have their bed rooms refrigerated and air conditioned and it is therefore an object of our invention to provide a relatively inexpensive enclosure for a bed which will satisfactorily confine cold air and which may be provided with an adequate supply of cooled and properly treated air.

During the summer months many persons are troubled with hay fever and similar diseases. In order to avoid the excessive sneezing and disagreeable effect on them, many hay fever patients from certain localities find it necessary to go north in order to find relief. It is an ob- .lect of our invention to so construct an enclosure around a bed and to so provide a supply of properly cooled and treated air thereto so as to en- I able persons so afflicted to sleep in comfort re- 25 gardless of the locality in which they live.

It is a morespecific object of our inventionto provide. an inexpensive enclosure for a bed which .prevents the escape of cool air therefrom and which is provided with a separate portable air 30 cooling and air treating unit which provides an adequate supply of cooled and properly treated air so that any person, including hay fever patients, may sleep in comfort therein.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein'a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of one form of our invention; H v I Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the form shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view of a portion of Fig. 1; V Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion ofthe curtain shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional viewalong the line 5-5 of Fig. 6; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the tension adjusting means for the curtain;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the air filtering means;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of our invention;

1933, Serial No. 687,512

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the form shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of another form of our invention similar to that shown in Figs. 8 and 9; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of another form of our invention similar to that shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line |2-|2 of Fig. 10.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig 1, there is shown for the purpose of illustrating our invention an enclosed bed generally designated by the reference character and provided with rigid end members 2| and 22 which may be made of some suitable structural material such as wood. These end members 2| and 22 are fastened to the framework of the bed and, the bed is further provided with a top 23 which extends from one end of the bed to the other and covers the top of the end members. Within the enclosure there are provided suitable springs and a mattress 24 as well as a pillow 25.

The sides of the bed are provided with slide curtains 26 which are suitably suspended from the upper portion of the enclosure. 26 are provided at the top with overdrapes 28 for covering the upper edge of the curtains and for preventing the escape of air around the edge of the curtains. The end member 2| at the head portion of the bed is provided with a window 21 on either side so as to provide light for the interior of the enclosure.

At the opposite end of the bed there is provided a separate portable air cooling unit 30. which is provided with a duct 3| connected by means of suitable rubber connection 32 with the end portion 22 of the enclosure for withdrawing air from within the enclosure and a second duct means 33 which is connected by a suitable rubber connection 34 with the top of the enclosure for supplying cooled and treated air to the enclosure. The rubber connections prevent the transfer of vibrations from the portable air cooling unit to the .bed 20.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 to '7 inclusive for the structural details of this form of our invention, there is shown an angle iron framework 35 which is supported upon rubber tired castors 36 to facilitate easy movement for the bed.- The framework 35 contains vertical bars 31' which are connected by suitable horizontal bars 38 at a convenient heighth for supporting the bed spring. The vertical bars 31 are also connected by suitable upper horizontal bars 39 The curtains at their upper portion for supporting the top 23 of the enclosure. The end members 2| and 22 are mounted upon the framework 35 and are provided with suitable insulating means such as cellular wood fiber board Ml for insulating the enclosure. The end member 2| is composed of a. pair of side panels 4| each containing a window 21. The end member H is also provided with an end panel 42. The end member 22 is provided with a pair of side panels 43 as well as end panel M. Each of these panels is fastened to and supported by the framework 35. The end panel M is provided with a flanged aperture 45 at its upper end which is connected to the rubber connection 32 which in turn is connected to the duct 3! for withdrawing air from the enclosure. The opening 45 is provided with a slide door it which controls the withdrawal of air from the enclosure.

Above the end members 2! and 22 is the top 23 which is formed in one piece and which is provided with a duct means formed by side walls til, top wall El, and a lower wall 52 which forms a filter for the air which is introduced into the enclosure. The bottom or filter wall 52 is formed till) of three rectangular frames 53, E i, and 55 which are linked together by a sort of a hook joint 51 which is formed by curling the adjacent edge portions of the frames so as to form an interlocking pivoted joint. These frames are provided with screens 58 which are laid thereon and which are merely held in place by gravity. On top of the screens 58, sheets of filter paper 59 are provided which are held in place by a set of screens iii] which are laid on top of the filter paper and hold it in place by their weight. At the end of the cabinet opposite the end of the filter screens, there is provided a small door El which permits access to the filter screens so that they may be drawn out and the filter paper changed. The frame and screens are made in sections so as to make it more convenient to withdraw the frames and change the filter paper. The front edge of this filtering means adjacent the door iii is provided with a seal 62 for preventing the escape of air from the duct means without passing through the filter paper. The opposite end of the duct means is connected by means of the rubber connection 3d to the supply duct 33.

Mounted upon the brackets 9i] which are fastened to the inner sides of the side'panels ii and it are the upper curtain rods ti for supporting the upper edge oiv each of the sliding curtains 2%. The curtains are each fastened at one edge by snaps 92 to the adjacent edge of the side panels. When the curtains are closed, the edges which are drawn together at the middle of the sides are also fastened by means of similar snaps. The lower edges of the sliding curtains are'held upon the lower curtain rods 93 which are located beneath the edge portion of the mat tress 2t. By this construction, when the curtains are drawn tight, they are held tightly against the edge of the mattress to prevent the escape of air from the enclosure at this point.

In order to tighten the curtains, the upper cur- 'tain rods are pivoted upon eccentrically located I rated, the handle 95 is lifted up so that the ourtain rod BI is rotated upon its eccentrically located pins 94 so that it moves downwardly and thus relieves the tension upon the curtains.

When' the rod is returned to the tightened position, it is held in place by the flange 96 which is formed upon the bracket 90 and which serves as a stop. At the same time the rod, together with the curtain thereon, moves against a flexible sheet metal air sealing member 91 which is fastened to the outer wall. In this way the upper edge of the curtains is sealed so as to prevent the escape of air therefrom.

The curtains 26 are quilted as shown in Fig. 4 so that they may be good insulators. The curtains are preferably formed of an outer sheet 98 of velvet and an inner sheet 99 of velvet or a less expensive material with a suitable animal, mineral, or vegetable fiber I00, such as kapokdn between the sheets held in place by quilting or stitching illi. When made in this-way the curtains form a suitable insulating means.

A separate and portable air cooling unit 30 supplies cooled air to the duct means in the top of the enclosure and forces the air through the filter paper into the main portion of the enclosure and then removes it through the opening it in the end member M. This separate portable air cooling unit may be removed from the enclosed bed by disconnecting the rubber connections 32 and M as well as certain electrical connections hereinafter described. This air cooling unit is provided with a base 6t mounted upon suitable swivel castors 66. Upon this base is a refrigerant liquefying compartment, 61 which is surrounded by side walls 6 provided with louvers and a top wall 69. Within the compartment 56 there is provided a refrigerant liquefying apparatus including a compressor ill for compressing the refrigerant and for forwarding the compressed refrigerant to a condenser H where the refrigerant is liquefied and collected in a receiver 12. The compressor is driven by an electric motor 113 through suitable pulley and belt means Hi. The electric motor is also provided with a fan for directing a blast of air over the condenser "ll. This blast of air after passing over the condenser ii escapes through the louvers in the side wall 68. The duct means 3! and 33 are mounted on top of the wall 69. Within the lower portion of the duct 3i there is provided a refrigerant evaporating means Hi. This refrigerant evapcrating means it is provided with liquid refrigerant from the receiver it under the control of an automatic expansion valve ill of the type which is adjustable to vary the low side pressure within the refrigerating system and therefore to control the evaporating temperature within the evaporator it. The refrigerant after being evaporated in the evaporator i6 is returned to the compressor. The operation of the electric motor 13 and the compressor is controlled by a suitable thermostat til which is mounted upon panel M Within the enclosure. This thermostat (it is connected into the electric motor circuit by suitable electric conductors M which. of course. must be broken when the air cooling unit is separated from the bed. This may be done by providing the suitable plug connection for the electrical conductors 8!.

The air is withdrawn from within the enclosure by an electric fan 83 preferably of the centrifugal type. This fan 83 draws the air over the surfaces of the evaporator 16. The evaporator 16 cools the air and under ordinary condition causes some of the moisture to be condensed out of the air. This moisture from the evaporating means is caused to flow through the opening 84a beneath the fan 83 and to flow over the surfaces of the provided in the duct means 3I and the amount of fresh air is controlled by means of a sliding door 85. By this arrangement the'electric fan 83 draws both fresh air and air from within the enclosure and forces it up through the duct 33 into the duct means in the top 23 of the enclosure. The air which is forced into the horizontal duct means at the top of the enclosure then passes through the filter paper which removes dust and pollen from the air so that when it reaches the enclosure it will be properly cooled and treated so that anyone can sleep within the bed in comfort. The moist surfaces of the evaporating means I6 remove a considerable amount of the pollen carried by the air before the air reaches the filter screen. With this arrangement, anyone suffering from hay fever may sleep in such a bed in as complete comfort as in northern 'climates. Inasmuch as hay fever patients suffer the greatest amount at night, such a bed is of considerable benefit to them since it enables them to get proper sleep and rest and in this way they are often able to remain in a climate which they would be otherwise forced to leave.

In Figs. 8 and 9 we have provided. a greatly simplified form, but, nevertheless, this form is also highly effective. In this form there is shown a bed I having uprights I2I at the corners which support the springs I22 which in turn support a mattress I23 and a pillow I24. Extending around the uprights I2I is a suitable insulating fabric I25, such as velvet. This fabric I25 preferably extends about I8 inches above the mattress but this distance may vary from 12" to 36" above the mattress. We find that the relatively long nap present in velvet holds the air in very much the same manner as air is held in fur and in this way this fabric is a relatively good insulator; In addition, the velvet is very pleasing in appearance. Entrance to the bed is provided by a removable connection I26 in one side of the fabric I25. made by hooks or snaps. By unfastening this connection, the enclosing velvet may also be removed from the uprights I2I and in this way the bed may be like any ordinary bed when no cooled air is desired. In order to make this enclosure sufficiently tight, the mattress I23 is made sufficiently wide to abut the side walls of the fabric I25 and is preferably made sufficiently long to extend at either end to the end walls of the fabric I25. At the foot end of the bed there is provided a rather short top piece I21 which may be made of velvet provided with a suitable supporting means or which may be made of some more rigid material, such as wood or corrugated cardboard.

In order to properly cool this bed and the air within the enclosure, we force, at a relatively low airspeed, a supply of cooled and treated air into the enclosure formed by the mattress and the fabric I25. With this arrangement the cooled air falls slowly to the bottom of' the enclosure in effect, forming a blanket of cool air, and remains This connection is preferably tional advantage of being open at the top so that one may sleep under conditions very similar to what he has been accustomed. The short top compressor I33, a condenser I34, and an electric motor I for driving the compressor. This refrigerant liquefying apparatus is enclosed by the side walls I36 one of which is provided with an aperture I31 for supplying air to cool the compressor. An aperture I30 is provided in the top of the unit for permitting the escape of air which has been warmed by the condenser unit I34.

Within the upper portion of the portable unit there is provided a separate air cooling compartment formed by the walls I. Within the air cooling compartment there is provided a refrigerating evaporating means I43 for cooling the air. This evaporator I43 is provided with liquid refrigerant under the control of a suitable automatic expansion valve I44 which is provided with adjusting means forvarying the back pressure within the refrigerating system so as to vary the temperature of theevaporating means. Airis blown through an opening I48 in the sidewall of the portable unit I30 and then over the surfaces of the evaporator I43 by an electric fan I45 and then blown through the duct I46 which has its. end portion I41 turned downwardly through an.

opening in the top wall portion I21. The evaporator I43, in addition. to cooling the air, removes moisture therefrom by condensation. This keeps the surfaces of the evaporator moist and these moist surfaces remove the pollen from the air. Since the pollen in the air is believed to be the agent which causes the suffering from hay fever, the patient is enabled to sleep in comfort in such a bed.

The supply of air is controlled by a slide door I49 which is provided to vary the effective area of the opening I48. In this way the velocity of the air flowing from the duct I46 into the em closure is controlled.

In Figs. 10 and 12 we have shown another modification of our invention which is very similar to the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Fig.

12 is a sectional view along the line I2--I2 of Fig. 10. Fig. 10 shows an ordinary hospital bed generally designated by the reference character I50. This hospital bed is provided with a suitable mattress I5I supported upon a suitable under 'vide a suitable support for the fabric enclosure.

The angle iron members I54 are fastened to the uprights I53 by suitable metal, leather, or fabric straps I55 which are more clearly shown in Fig. 12. The uprights I53 are protected by a suitable cushioning means I56, preferably in the formof felt. These straps I55 are shown of metal and are anchored to a pivot-pin I51 at one end which connects the strap to one side of the angle iron while the other end is provided with a screw thread I58 which is fastened to the other side of the angle iron by a wing nut I59. The upper end of the angle iron members I54 are step cut as shown at I60 so as to form a hook for supporting the elastic shock cord I6I which supports the upper edgeof the fabric curtains 162 which extend around the bed and form the side walls of the enclosure for the bed. The shock cord IGI is preferably provided with a detachable connection at one of the corners so that the fabric curtains may be dropped for entering and leaving the bed. The fabric extends from 18" to 24" above the top of the mattress. The lower edge of the fabric is preferably tucked in underneath the mattress so as to prevent the cold air from escaping from the enclosure. The fabric curtains I62 are preferably of velvet or some other suitable insulating fabric.

. The bed is provided with cooled, dehumidified, and treated air by means of the portable air cooling and treating unit I65 which is provided with a duct means I00 which discharges air through an aperture in the fabric and into the interior of the enclosure. This air cooling unit is very similar to the cooling unit I30 shown in Figs. 8 and 9 and similarly has means for cooling, dehumidifying and reducing the pollen content of the air but differs in that it has the outlet at one side instead of the top.

With this form the angle iron members and the fabric curtains, as well as the shock cord, may be entirely removed from the bed and the portable air cooling unit may also be removed so that the bed may be restored to its original condition very easily. The straps I55 are removed merely by removing the wing nuts I59 and pivoting the strap I55 away from the upright I53.

In Fig. 11 the fabric curtains are supported entirely separate from the bed. The bed in this figure is designated by the reference character I10 and for supporting the fabric curtains there is provided a metal framework having feet I1I upon which the castors of the bed rest. Extending upwardly from the feet I1I are pieces of pipe or tubing I12 which connect at their upper end to couplings I13. These couplings I13 are connected to each other by horizontal pieces of pipe or tubing I14 which telescope and slide therein and which are fastened to the couplings by means of a split threaded end which is clamped to the tubing I14 by means of a knurled nut I15. Extending upwardly from the couplings I13 are the pieces of tubing or pipes I16 which are provided with caps at their upper end to which hooks I11 are fastened. 7

Elastic shock cord I18 is fastened upon hooks I11 by loops which are fastened to the curtains --and extend from hook to hook around the enclosure. At one of the hooks the shock cord is connected together by suitable books so that it may be unhooked and the fabric curtain allowed to drop so that the patient or the occupant of the bed may conveniently enter or leave the bed. The fabric curtains, preferably of velvet and designated by the reference character I1I, are suspended at their upper edges by a shock cord and the curtains draped/down from the shock. cord 1 and are tucked in underneath the mattress situated upon the bed I10.

fabric curtains I1I.

The bed I10 is provided with a similar portable air cooling unit I80 which is identical to the unit I65 shown in Fig. 10. The unit I80 is provided with a discharge duct I8I for discharging cooled and treated air into the enclosure formed by the In this modification the supporting means for the curtains is entirely separate from the bed and may readily be taken apart and removed therefrom. The framework which supports the shock cord and curtains is adjustable by reason of the sliding connection between the tubing or pipes I14 and the couplings I13. It may also be disassembled and removed by removing the tubing I14 from the couplings I13.

In this way a removable enclosure is provided which may be applied to any ordinary bed and which may be readily removed therefrom. By having the castors of the bed resting upon the feet I H, a very firm curtain support is obtained. In fact, with the castors resting upon the feet I1 I, the couplings I13 and the horizontal tubing I10 may be dispensed with and the elastic shock cord and the curtains supported merely by the vertical rods corresponding to. the pipes or tubing I12 and I16 and extending upwardly from the feet.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Refrigerating apparatus including a bed structure having body supporting means and an air confining wall structure for confining cooled air above the body supporting means, said wall.

structure being supported by the bed structure and being separately removable therefrom, said wall structure extending upwardly from the edges of the body supporting means completely around the sides of the bed, atleast a portion of said wall structure being formed of movable air confining fabric curtains for entering and leaving the bed, and forced draft means for discharging cooled air within the wall structure and below the top thereof.

2. Refrigerating apparatus including a bed structure having a body supporting means and an air confining wall structure formed of flexible fabric extending upwardly from the body supporting means for confining cool air above the body supporting means, removable posts detachabli connected to and supported by the bed structure for supportingthe air confining wall structure,

and means for discharging cooled air within the wall structure.

3. Refrigerating apparatus including a bed structure having a body supporting means and an air confining wall structure formed of flexible fabric extending upwardly from the body supporting means for confining cool air above the body supporting means, said wall structure being provided with an elastic means for preventing sagging and for holding it in proper position, and means for discharging cooled air within the wall structure.

4. The process of cooling and circulating air, which consists in isolating a portion of air in a defined area open at the top and confining the bottom portion of said air against downward and sidewise movement out of said defined area, cooling airand causing it to drop by gravity into the bottom of said defined area and to displace warmer air, and causing said warmer air to rise and pass out at the open top of said defined area.

5. A device for cooling and circulating air in a segregated portion of a room, comprising a cooling receptacle for cooling human beings, said receptacle being open at the top, means for filling said receptacle with artificially cooled air so that the cooled air displaces warmer air and causes said warmer air to pass up out of the open top of said receptacle whereby the air warmed by the human being in said receptacle is displaced by the cooler air and passes out of the open top of said receptacle and the interior of said receptacle around said human being is' maintained in a cooled condition.

6. An air cooling and circulating device comprising a receptacle into which the person is received, said receptacle having a wall, a portion of which is movable in a substantially vertical direction to secure entrance and exit from said receptacle, and means for inserting cooled air into said receptacle.

'7. An air cooling and circulating device comprising a receptacle into which the person is recelved, said receptacle having a wall, a portion 01 which is movable in a substantially vertical ditherefor, wall means extending upwardly from the edges of the mattress and cooperating with the mattress to form a receptacle substantially open at the top, said wall means being provided with means for preventing the escape of air between it and the edges of the mattress, said wall means including flexible portions at the side edges of the mattress, said flexible portions being pro vided with means for holding themselves nor-,

mally substantially upright, and means for inserting cooled air into the receptacle formed by said mattress and upwardly extending wall means, said receptacle being substantially entirely open at the top to permit free exit of warm air from the receptacle.

9. A device for cooling and circulating air in a segregated portion of a room, comprising a cooling receptacle for cooling human beings, said receptacle being substantially entirely open at the top, and portable means constituting a unit separate from and detachable from said receptacle for filling said receptacle with artificially cooled air so that the cooled air displaces warmer air and. causes said warmer air to pass up out of the open top of said receptacle whereby the vair warmed by the human being in said receptacleis displaced by the cooler air and passes out or the open top of said receptacle and the interior of said receptacle around' said human being is maintained in a cooled condition.

CHARLES'F. KETTERING. EDWIN C. SIITLER. 

